The Domino Theory
by Sanctimonious Girl
Summary: A collection of Yuugioh short stories, written for LiveJournal 50Scenes. General series, main parings include SxJ, YYxY, Snareshipping, and more.
1. Before the Sun

**Name: **_Before the Sun  
_**Prompt: **_#32: Regret  
_**Characters: **Otogi Ryuuji x Jounouchi Katsuya  
**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yuugioh (though it'd make an awesome birthday gift), and all characters, and mentioned locations belong to Kazuki Takahashi.

* * *

Otogi usually loved the morning after a one night stand. The day seemed clearer in his eyes, less hazy, sharper, almost like new. How the sun would peek beyond the trees and the hollow songs of birds would go on deaf ears. He usually awoke before his "lover", never casting a glance back, and leave with a cigarette placed between thin lips, one finger occupied with twirling a strand of hair, the other busy lighting said cigarette, then removing it from his mouth to release a plume of smoke into the early morning cool.

He was used to the usual, and these stands would be marked down as nothing more but another person who had the pleasure of being in bed with the infamous, flirtatious, beautiful Otogi Ryuuji. It was simple—they would feel no regrets, no mistakes, no attachment. And Otogi would brush it off, and say it was a mistake, regret and there were no attachments.

But he can't seem to brush this one off so easily.

It started bad already, the first mistake just being as uncomplicated as waking up late. When he awoke, the sun was already up, and he heard people murmuring downstairs. Downstairs? _Oh yeah,_ he said, raising his somnolent head from the comfortable pillow, _I wasn't at my house last night._

And indeed he wasn't at his house. He was in Mutou Yuugi's house, and, he couldn't believe it, he had a one night stand in the most innocent house he could think of. Shrugging, Otogi just thought, _well, now I can say I've done it everywhere. _Plus, there _was _a post-graduation party at the Mutou residence, and small, innocent, cherub faced Yuugi _did_ have beer. Not his fault he had a bit too much and had to control his libido for a while in a room with someone…

Pulling up black pants over thin legs, Otogi made the other mistake of looking at the bed. His "lover" (can he really call them that anymore? He wondered if "acquaintances in bed" would work better, but then, he noted, _I'll sound like a whore. Like I'm not already._), and saw a mop of golden hair on top of the pillow next to his. Wondering who the lucky lady was, Otogi crept up and pulled the sheets back a little, and, to his surprise, it wasn't a lady, but Jounouchi Katsuya sleeping soundly in the bed. His mouth was wide open, a small line of drool leaking out, his golden eyelashes twitching in his dreams, red lips swollen from sleep, and Otogi couldn't look away.

Maybe it was the sun, making his blonde hair shine out like a halo, or how his skin seemed pale, and smooth in the dim room, and how gorgeous he looked right there, sleeping, and—_gorgeous? _Otogi shook his head, rolled his eyes, scoffed quietly, and did everything to mark his disbelief. How could he sink so low as to go and sleep with that second-rate duelist, that loud mouth punk, that _dog_? How could he have Jounouchi possibly seduce him? Or had Otogi done the seducing, per usual? Otogi couldn't decide what to believe, but all he could see was a piece of blonde hair slip gracefully onto Jounouchi's face, tickling his nose, and move silently as Jounouchi breathed deeply in and out, in and out, in and out, and…

Otogi sighed, rubbing his temples, slipping his pants off, and going under the covers, and wrapping his arms around Jounouchi's sharp hips, pressing the blonde close to his body. He couldn't resist. He knew he couldn't resist last night when Jounouchi, inebriated and so beautiful laughing, joyous, asked him to kiss him. He knew he couldn't resist when the kiss ended and his lips begged for more.

Otogi wished he could brush this off as another mistake, regret, and leave with no attachment. But he couldn't. Because he never wanted mistakes, regrets, attachment—but he wanted this one. And he can't imagine why.


	2. Feel It

**Name: **_Feel It__  
_**Prompt: **_#49: End  
_**Character(s): **_Yuugi Mutou_  
**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yuugioh (though it'd make an awesome birthday gift), and all characters, and mentioned locations belong to Kazuki Takahashi.

* * *

Yuugi could still feel it. It pressed heavily against his shoulders, and lifted him down, making his posture slump a little, making him seem just a few centimeters smaller. It was cold against the heat of the desert, cool against his neck, and it caught the light, glimmering and beautiful. It pressed lightly into his stomach and bumped into his abdomen when he walked. But when he lifted his fingers to grasp the chain, he grasped nothing but air, and his shirt.

He had to remember it was gone. He had to remember that the puzzle was deep within the Egyptian sand, and that no matter how many times he stared at his shadow, it would not flare up, and an eye of Horus would not burn into the middle of its forehead. He had to remember that no matter how many times he looked over his shoulder his other would not be there, smiling tenderly at him. He had to remember it was the end. He was alone in his mind, in his body, in his soul, and no matter what, his other self will not be coming back.

Late at night Yuugi could feel the end as he pressed his tear stained cheeks to his pillow.


	3. Winter

**Name: **_Winter  
_**Prompt: **_#41: Winter  
_**Character(s): **_Malik Ishtahl_  
**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yuugioh (though it'd make an awesome birthday gift), and all characters, and mentioned locations belong to Kazuki Takahashi.

* * *

Malik hated winter.

He, being a creature of Egyptian sands, never knew what winter was. Of course, he'd heard of it when his sister had ventured into the real world, and taken business in her museum in places other than smoldering Egypt, and she would let slip that the winter was too bitter and ghastly. And, yes, he had heard of it himself when he had started forming the Ghouls and had heard of their adventures at the various places he had sent them –everywhere from New York, America to Moscow, Russia, where, according to his Ghouls, it was winter everyday.

But experience the cold, blustery season himself? Never.

That is, until Isis had told him to go with her to Japan during the season, long after his Ghouls had disbanded and he had become on good terms with the Pharaoh's reincarnation and his friends. In good humor, he had accepted, thinking that this 'winter' was no colder than the cool air of the sands when night approached in Egypt. How wrong was he? Very, and he had learned that once he stepped from the warm airport and into the tart freezing night of Domino City, wearing nothing but a light jacket.

Shuddering, he sighed out vanilla lace, and looked around, hoping to spot his sister in the mass of people and taxis. He didn't and when he looked at his wristwatch, he noticed that she was ten minutes late. He scowled, and rubbed his arms in an attempt to keep warm. _Stupid __Isis__ and her inconsistencies…she said she'd be here at __9:00__ and it's __9:10__! _Yet, Malik knew better than to blame his sister – everyone was late once in a while. No one could be an Obsessive Compulsive Disorderly perfectionist like him.

Looking inside the warm airport, he knew it would be easier on him and his quickly numbing nose and ears to go back into the airport. But the worry that said 'what if Isis might miss him if he went back in' nagged at him, and he didn't want his trepidation to be proven true. So, instead he waited in the cold, pressing hands to his lips to blow on them, and keeping as close to the door as he could without being hit by it, and to receive enough warmth.

But it wasn't just the warmth he stood next to the door for. It was the light. Once he had walked out, he had noticed the cold, yes, but what really startled him and made the worry build in his stomach was the darkness. _Is winter always so…dark? _Malik noticed there were shadows everywhere. They clung like a wet blanket to every corner and crevice, making sure that even the light emanating from the airport couldn't break away all of the shade. Malik wasn't shuddering much from the cold anymore, as his eyes wandered to every corner where the gloom laid, but by apprehension. The darkness seemed to crawl to him, and he wanted nothing more but to kick at it, and hope they won't encase him.

Like they did so many years ago.

_How are you?_

Malik gripped his jacket, and his eyes began to search frantically around to see if any of the people heard the voice too. No one looked his way. Lavender eyes began to look back to the darkness where a certain shadow crept up closer then necessary.

_Come now…is that how you greet me? I've missed you…the darkness is so lonely without you to feed it…_

"Go away," Malik whispered. No need to cause a commotion. This was all in his head…more than he let on, he knew.

_How can I? _

_He's gone…_

_I can come back._

_I know you're angry somewhere deep in that heart._

_I know you hurt deep in your soul._

_I'll be there to comfort you – give you happiness._

"You have a sick sense of happiness."

_You're one to talk._

"Listen," he whispered tersely, voice filled with aggression and demanding to be obeyed. "Leave me the fuck alone. I don't need you anymore. I can handle my own fucking problems—"

_That is where you're wrong._

_You'll never be perfect. You'll always find something that will make you angry, make you furious, and you will always ignore it. You will always bypass it, and it all will collect into me again. You will always come back to this chamber divided into blinding light as hot as the African sun and shrouding darkness as cold as the winter breeze you stand in now._

_You can't get rid of me._

_It's not that easy._

_I'm **you**._

_How do you rid of that?_

Malik was about to cry out, yell obscenities, kick and scream and punch at the darkness until it left him alone forever, but he never had a chance to.

"Malik?"

Twirling around in frenzy, he came face to face with his sister. Blue eyes stared at him in apology. "Little brother, my apologies for making you wait. There was something down at the museum and I couldn't really tell someone to come and pick you up. Are you not cold?"

_Not by the season, I'll tell you that much, _Malik thought bitterly, as he nodded and rubbed his arms once more. He pointedly ignored the shadow he felt pressing up against his arm.

"Come. The car is this way. How was your flight?"

Muttering, Malik walked with his sister to the car, all the while thinking, _winter is so cold. So many shadows crawl all over the place. I hate it. _


	4. Our Secret

**Name: **_Our Secret  
_**Prompt: **_#4: Secrets  
_**Character(s): **_Katsuya Jounouchi x Seto Kaiba_  
**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yuugioh (though it'd make an awesome birthday gift), and all characters, and mentioned locations belong to Kazuki Takahashi.

* * *

When he found him, he was a mess. Lying against the wall of a worn down bar, Jounouchi looked like complete, utter shit. His shirt was dirty and wrinkled to the point of no salvation. His shoes were scuffed and oddly broken near the large toe on the left. Blonde hair was dirty to the point of looking clean again, and sticking out in wild directions from when he had stumbled out into the pouring rain earlier that, well, morning.

He looked at his watch: 6:07 AM.

Looks like he wasn't going to work today.

--

"Big brother, why is Jounouchi currently residing in our guest room?"

"Let him sleep."

"Yes, I will, but why is _he_ here?"

"Eat something before you're late. Maybe some toast – you don't have time for a proper breakfast."

"Okay, big brother, but why is he _here_?"

The younger one sighed heavily as his brother just sipped at his coffee, and read the newspaper in complete silence, ignoring him. Or, since his hand was clenched a little too tightly on the cup, turning his knuckles white, maybe thinking about why the blonde lay unconscious and drunken in the guest room, much like his younger brother was. In the foresight, the younger one saw, there was no definite answer as to why the older had brought home a very inebriated blonde.

Suddenly, the black haired boy realized something.

"Big brother…"

A grunt confirming he heard him.

"Why are _you_ here?"

--

The air was thick, heavy, disgusting and smelled like cigarettes of all kinds and caliber, cheap beer, fine whiskey, and stale sex. He didn't know where the last smell filtered from, and, currently, he didn't care. Pressing his stomach against the side of the bar, and leaning his elbows on the tabletop, he could almost hear his mother scold him, poking him firmly with her chopstick, saying, "don't lean on the table with your elbows, it's rude!"

All he got was a rough, "whaddya want? I'm busy tonight," from the bartender and a barely cool beer shoved under his nose.

The beer tasted foreign and revolting on his tongue. It swirled like an animal in his stomach, clawing its way through him, prevailing to make him numb from the future, maybe the present and definitely the past. It was repulsive and he hated it.

He wondered why he ordered that second, third, fourth, fifth, tenth beer after that…

--

Looking out the window was much more calming than staring blankly at the ceiling and Jounouchi had been doing it for the past…

Turning his head, he looked, bleary-eyed, at the side table digital clock.

…ten minutes. The day was sunny and bright, full of birds chirping and children playing in schoolyards, something he didn't need with the headache reigning in his head. He just wished the children and the birds would frolic and be all gay and Disney-like a little quieter, and the sun to dim out just a bit. But, (_luck is not a lady but a cold, hard bitch_, he thought bitterly) today was not his day, and all the sounds were elevated to the loudest level they could be in his mind.

A pendulum called his brain rocked back and fourth, back and fourth, back…and…

Running to the bathroom, Jounouchi made quick friends with the toilet and the cold bathroom floor.

As he was retched the last of his stomach into the depths of modern plumbing, he felt a cold hand press itself against the nape of his neck, and two pills appear before his eyes, suspended on the palm of a hand. Blinking, he looked up to meet – emerald? No wrong, colour…ruby? No, that was red, forget it, he's too hung over for this poetic shit – ice blue eyes, and locked onto the message they held, cold and distant much like the person.

Drink it and don't ask questions.

Nodding, he slipped the pills into his mouth, swallowed dry, sigh, and said, voice hoarse and condescending, "Shit."

--

"Does anyone know I'm here?"

"Except the maids, no."

He didn't look anywhere but the cup in front of him, staring thoughtfully into the dark pools of ground coffee beans. Running a hand through freshly washed hair, he tried to ignore the nice, soft feeling of the other's sweater on his ribs. Sighing, he grabbed a piece of toast from the plate in the middle of the table and began to nibble on it to appease his upset stomach.

"What about the kid?"

"Him, too, but he could hardly believe it. No need to worry about him."

Nodding, he finally looked up to see the other man looking at him, eyes hard and waiting for him to initiate the answer to the question _why_. Like Hell.

"Whaddya starin' at me for, huh?"

"You know why. Now, tell me, why did I find you?"

"You should ask why you took me in."

"I can't leave a dog in the streets – especially my dog. How horrible of a master would I be?"

Using all of his energy (which wasn't much to begin with) to glare, Jounouchi bit purposefully into the piece of toast he held, wishing he was biting off the other's head.

"Shuddap."

"Why?"

Looking back out the window, he heard the same birds from earlier chirping, and he could see the cherry blossom leaves beginning to fall to the ground. The sweater was rising up against his back, and every part of him felt like ants were crawling beneath his skin. Fidgeting, he said, "I can' tell you. Not now, at least."

Turning to face Kaiba, Jounouchi locked eyes with him, and said, sternly, "Let this be our secret. Please?"

Not one to be secretive or to be left out in the dark, Kaiba hesitated. But he knew better than to think hard about Jounouchi – all it served was a headache and insanity. Oh yes, he knew better. So, with a grunt that acknowledged he heard what the blonde said, he muttered, "a secret."

Standing up, Kaiba passed by Jounouchi, but stopped when the other boy grasped his hand. Once again looking into Kaiba's eyes, he locked their pinkies together and recited, "Cross my heart, and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye."

Smiling, Jounouchi let go of his finger, and said, "Our secret."

"How many secrets do we have now, mutt?"


End file.
